The State of Power amonniad series six
by pauline companion cavalry
Summary: Zeus is about to send his son on a journey that will take him beyond the edge of the world or to the encircling Ocean. In fact, it is another world. Two worlds meet when Alexander becomes involved with the most secretive United States government project.


THE STATE OF POWER

(Amonniad Series Six)

by Aristander Telmizzen Esteron

Zeki Cacie Mysterio

and Pauline Ugalde

Published by Athenian Academy Books Inc.

1023 Rictron St.,

Pallet Town CA, 12345

Maps, cover art, and portraits copyright © 2010 by Athena Brazion. Text copyright © 2010 by Aristander Telmizzen Esteron, Zeki Cacie Mysterio, and Pauline Ugalde. All rights reserved.

Reprinted outside of the Hellenic League Archives with permission by Alexander Alae Amon.

The distribution of this material may be done without permission unless it will be published in magazines or web sites. You must do this, or else the King shall find out. He can do that.

To Carol Nolan, my seventh grade science teacher, for telling me about DNA and its potential,

And to the historical Ptolemy and Roxane, for their inspiration,

And to Alexander, god or otherwise, who I know will return, one way or another.

Prologue: Death and a Life

June 11, 323 B.C.

Royal Palace at Babylon, Iraq

Ptolemy stared grimly at the crowd of Macedonians from the balcony of the royal bed chamber. They were gathered in front of the royal palace at Babylon.

Their king, Alexander, son of Philip, had slipped out of their reach only a day before, and all were grieving, especially Ptolemy. "Even though his campaigns did get crazy before we got here, in the end, he was a brilliant commander. He helped whoever needed help, and he destroyed whoever wanted to fight him. He was a man of extremes."

Ptolemy wasn't the only one who was mourning, but Aristander, Alexander's seer, standing next to him, was too. He hung his head and didn't make eye contact with anyone. "He had led us with courage and daring that no one will ever-" "Ptolemy," Aristander whispered in his ear. "May I speak?"

"Sure." Aristander raised his head and looked boldly at the men. "Everyone, at first, it may seem that all is lost and that there is no hope for our army."

"There never was hope!" one veteran shouted. "We were doomed from the start. He overworked us and spent all his money on war and luxuries and not on our welfare. He deserved to die!" This veteran had fought in the royal division of the Lancers and he had served under Philip too. He disapproved of Alexander's actions from the start. He only wanted to fight on the Agean seaboard, not the whole continent.

"That may be true right now, seeing that our leader, who was so passionate for us, has left us. But, I have a plan to save us and it's almost done.

Earlier today, I met with Roxane, Alexander's Sogdian wife. She was shivering with shock when she heard the news of his death. When she saw me though, she was relieved. She showed this to me." Aristander took a small gold amulet from his pocket. There was a gold Alpha carved in the center. It shone brilliantly in the light and was so dazzling that even people in the back of the crowd could see it clearly. "She received it from Darius on the night they met. He said that it would come in handy if someone she knew was going to die or if they already had. She told me only a seer, a very experienced seer, could make the amulet work.

If the right spell is said over it, it can take the person's memories and their image and place it into the amulet. It is not their soul, for these memories are not permanent. These memories can be changed as time passes and by the gods while the person is in the amulet."

"You lie!" Another man yelled. "You do witchcraft with the enemy!"

"This is for our benefit. This will benefit us for a long while. Can you let me finish my business please?" The man fell silent. "Now," Aristander raised his voice, "I shall perform the spell. I have worked very hard on it, and I feel that it will fulfill its duties."

Aristander took a deep breath. Then, in ancient Greek that was so pronounced that everyone in the city, even people who weren't present, knew it was being said, he began.

"Oh Zeus, the leader

the one who leads us all

The one who instigated

Alexander's fall

When one who pretends

to know Ptolemy in the future

the Placer

goes on his modern path,

He shall sacrifice his life

for our leader to live

after he feels his

now gained

divine wrath!"

A flash lit the amulet and the two men. There was a click from the door of the royal bed chamber behind Ptolemy and Aristander as it swung open.

The crowd stared at the general and the seer in shock. No, they weren't looking at _them. Were they staring at something behind them?

Aristander turned around. "It is him!" he whispered.

Ptolemy turned around too. It _was his leader, in the flesh. He looked exactly like how he did in life: blonde hair flowing down to his shoulders, an impressive yet somewhat short stature, an heir of command emitting from his gaze as it fell on them both.

Alexander gestured at the seer and the amulet. "Sire, you are, here." Ptolemy was just as shocked as Aristander.

"Not for long. Aristander, did you charm the amulet? I am ready."

Aristander nodded. "But, how are you here when you're dead? The spell hasn't done its job yet."

"I am not physically here. This is the embodiment of my memories in a somewhat tangible form, as you said. I am ready." He said again.

Aristander held the amulet out to Alexander. He closed his hand around it and Ptolemy could see it glow, even through his fingers. The image vanished, and the door closed.

The amulet fell into Ptolemy's hand. "Do we put this along with Alexander's body now?" Ptolemy asked. "The embalmers are nearly finished."

Aristander shook his head. "You have to bless it and give your consent to whatever will happen when this person finds the amulet. Will you give it?"

"I will." He straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "I, Ptolemy, son of Laeggis, give my blessing. Whatever Alexander will do to the person who finds this amulet will be fine with me. May your plan succeed."

1: The Finding

Vergina Macedonia

Tom Sellis and Zeki Mysterio stared at the hole they had dug. "Do you think this is the place?" Tom asked.

"I'm certain this time." Zeki was confident. "Help me haul it up." A gold coffin emerged from the ground, suspended by leather ropes.

Zeki and Tom were two archaeologists who studied ancient Greece, especially Alexander the Great. Both of them had studied at UC Berkley and they had been there for four years of college and three additional years learning the tricks of their trade. They had both received their degrees at the end of the previous year.

At the beginning of this year, they had arrived in Macedonia to carry out their excavation. They were supposed to be back in the United States in two weeks, regardless of if they found anything or not. They were desperate, so thank the gods that they found this.

"Let's get back to the house and this to the vault. When we leave, we will all have a long flight home."

Two weeks later, as the pair stepped onto their plane, Zeki looked sadly back at the air strip. There was no official airport, only a small plane that would fly them home. "Are you sad about leaving?" he asked Tom.

Tom was too occupied with their find to answer. He delicately placed it in a crate at the back of the plane. "It was interesting, but I've been on more productive searches plenty of times before."

"But Sellis," Zeki insisted, "it may have taken us years to get here and we may have wasted some of our time, but we did it! Aren't you grateful for that?"

Tom nodded and sat in his seat. "I guess so. Mysterio, sit down. We have to get home."

Sanfran Cisco International Airport

Sanfran Cisco, California

"What do you think was your motivation to help you find this treasure?" a news reporter asked. Her camera was trained on Zeki, Tom, and their find. The trio were standing outside the airport, with luggage stacked to one side and somewhat tired from the flight.

Tom smiled. "It was because of Ptolemy. He helped me. I have his blood, you know. Because of that and since Ptolemy was the one to construct Alexander's tomb, I was able to find it."

"Where will you bring the coffin now?" the reporter asked.

"Oh, we're on our way to Sanfran Cisco's Archaeological Center for Biological Analysis," Zeki replied. "There, they have some of the best DNA analysis equipment around, so we're going to research there." The reporter walked away.

An hour later, The pair turned down a side street and walked towards a building with a sign on the door that said: Archaeological Center for Biological Analysis, like Zeki had said earlier. They went inside confidently and intent on their work. I hope that this isn't another fruitless search. Tom was skeptic, but somewhat hopeful. We have to have found something.

This was more than just the work of two archaeologists studying ancient artifacts. If only they knew that they weren't just researching a ruler who was long dead. If only they'd known that one of them was more than an archaeologist. If they knew that in just a month's time, one of them would never exit this building again, they would have flown back to Macedonia at once to place the coffin back where it belonged.

If only they _could put it back where it belonged. Well, that was not what the gods willed.

2: The Sky God's Son

The Amon Residence, Pallet Town, California

Zeus stared grimly at his son's step-father, sitting at the table across from him. He had come to see Philip today to receive some help with executing his plan. Well, he, Philip's, and their son's plan, now. "Where is he?" he asked.

The square-jawed, thick-set, Macedonian man shrugged. "He is with me. I took him to the movies before you arrived, wanted to soften the blow when it came. He is waiting outside. In fact, he requested himself that you come here, Zeus. Do not get the impression that I do not like having you here. It is necessary. I would be more corgial if the circumstances allowed it. Alas, they do not. Alexander!" he called. "Zeus is here!"

Alexander emerged from a door behind Philip. This Alexander was very different from the one that had been placed in the amulet by Aristander on that hot, Babylonian day. One thing that made him very different: he was taller. He was more than a foot taller than he was before, seven feet tall to be exact. The doorway was too short for him to walk through. He also had an even stronger heir of command and authority around him than before that even the god could not ignore. There was also an element of a craving for something, something he knew only he could want and get, that everyone felt. I am beginning to question making him a Greek god, the lord of the sky thought grimly and a little wearily. Think about how much trouble it has caused. Only two months ago, he had fought his second war with the Hellenic League. Where I will be sending him, he may fight his third war.

He approached Zeus and sat in a chair at his side. "What shall you do to me now?"

"Your transformation is complete, as I am sure you know. In February of this year, I upgraded you myself, giving you the blessing to become a Greek god, the power to use lightning like me, the ability to use Greek as a magic medium, and other powers. Later on, Aristotle enforced these abilities, especially your magic and your mental attacking capacity. However, as we had discovered, by doing so, he made your mind control so strong that it could control someone completely merely by you looking at them. You have learned how to master this gift, yes?"

"I have. Well, I know though that I can never truly have a completely firm grip on this power of mine. It happens even when I do not mean it to, very weakly, but enough for everyone around me to notice."

Zeus shuddered a little. "Even _I feel it, my son. I am the ruler of the gods, and I am susceptible to a once-mortal's strength." He said this honestly, for even now, he could not help submitting a tiny amount of his control to the Macedonian sitting beside him. He did not even try to get it back. He could not, as long as he was in his life.

"To continue. Athena, Leonardo, and I have discovered that we are not alone."

Alexander's eyes grew wide. This, Zeus thought, is when I know that he still thinks he's mortal. He still thinks he's mortal most of the time. Typical Alexander. He suppressed a smile. "Aliens exist?" he said in his "I'm asking a very weird question that probably almost all Americans know the answer to" voice.

Zeus chuckled. "No no, not like that. _Other _people exist. What I mean is is that parallel universes, with people who are fully evolved, exist. I have met with your engineers and scientists, who have made equipment that can detect a civilization's energy usage, especially electrical and thermal energy usage."

"What information have you gathered from this?" Philip asked.

"Quite a bit, actually. We have found out that this universe, this Earth, is just like ours. Its population is the same, its geography the same, with a couple major exceptions. Pokemon do not exist there. Magic does not exist obviously there. Even we, your father Philip, myself, yourself, everyone in the Hellenic League, do not exist there. In this world, you are dead."

Alexander's eyes widened again. "Dead?" he repeated. "How can that be?"

"Well, as I have said, there are no obvious signs of magic or any of the technological advances we have. You have been dead for more than 2300 years there, and your tomb has not been found either."

"So, I'm not actually alive?"

"No you are, just, as far as your scientists and I know, you are alive only here."

"Why can't I remember dying there, then?"

"That is because this universe and ours are separate. There was a copy of you there, who conquered the world like you did, but died and was never found like you, until February of 2009 at least. I suggest that you launch an investigation with your scientists to see if you can access this world. From what we have found, we have discovered that two archaeologists, Tom Sellis and Zeki Mysterio, have found your tomb. We can send you there. You will still be alive, just not alive enough that instruments can detect it."

"I'll do it." was Alexander's short, eager answer. Zeus placed a gold amulet on the table. "My assumption is that since you are not from this new universe, you can defy their laws of physics. This amulet should be able to teleport you there."

Alexander reached for the amulet and grasped it in one fist. He vanished.

"What will happen?" Philip asked the god after a short silence.

"Only the gods know," Zeus said, "and since I do not technically control this universe, I do not know what will happen. He can use the amulet to come back. He will be safe."

Zeus stood from his seat. "It is a pleasure to have done business with you Philip. I am off to Olympus. I must help Athena monitor Alexander's progress." With a bright flash of light, Zeus was gone.

Philip sighed and stared at where his son once sat. He had changed so much: from regent to world conqueror to god. Now, he would be known on other worlds. "I hope that you know what adventure you are embarking on," Philip said to the empty room and to Alexander's empty chair. "May you succeed, my son, Zeus's son."

3: Cracking the code

Archaeological Center for Biological Analysis

Sanfran Cisco, California

Tom stared intently at his computer. He saw the various DNA codes, written in red, sprawl before him. "Do these patterns match those of Philip?" he asked Zeki, his assistant. He had received these codes from an archaeologist in Macedonia, the same one that had found Philip in 1972.

"They do. They show the traits of Olympias as well as those of Philip." Zeki confirmed. "Strangely, it's more perfectly preserved than I thought. I even saw the DNA molecules' twisted ladder design myself." As he said this, his blue eyes went slightly out of focus in wonder.

"Did you get the external measurements?" asked Tom.

Zeki shook his head. "I'll do that now, Sir." He rushed away.

Tom's dark eyes followed his comrade out of the room. They had been working on analyzing this mummy for weeks. They had received all of their data, mainly the right DNA and the right location in Macedonia. All they had to do was measure things like the weight, height, and mass of their specimen. He brushed his light sandy bangs out of his eyes to examine the code on the screen, each letter representing one of four main chemicals in the DNA.

AGCTAGCCTT

CGGGGGTTAT

CTCGTCTCTAC

CGGTGCCCCC

CTTGCTTCCT

GTGCTCGTCT

CGCGGGTTCG

GCCCGCCTCC

TCGCTTATC

Meanwhile, Zeki continued his work on the mummy itself. He placed the sarcophagus next to a tape measure and calculated its dimensions. It was 7.5 feet long and 4 feet wide, and 3 feet high, entirely of solid gold, and its walls were about two inches thick. It weighed about trice his own weight, maybe more.

It was time to open it. Using steam and a fine-bladed knife, Zeki pried the lid off the top of the coffin, revealing its contents.

The mummy was about seven feet long, wrapped in hundreds of layers of resin bandages. It did not reek of 2000-year-old partly decayed flesh or of something that hadn't seen sunlight in that amount of time. It was odorless and looked a body that had been embalmed only yesterday. With gloves on his hands, Zeki lifted the body of Alexander the Great onto a long table, much like one that would be in an operating room. He was about to turn on special lights, visible, M-ray, ultra-violet, and infrared, to help him examine it, when he heard his colleague, Tom call him. "Get in here Zeki Mysterio. I have to show you a curious thing. Don't bring the body with you yet."

The two men looked at the DNA codes. "It seems," Tom pointed out, "that the DNA codes aren't very random in placement. Usually, it's not this organized, well, this part of it anyway."

"You're right," Zeki agreed. "You know, how you've grouped the letters A, C, G, and T in groups of ten, there does seem to be a pattern. It almost looks like words but blended together."

"I never thought of that. Can you perchance, interpret this code?"

Zeki's specialty was interpreting languages like ancient Greek, so this was right up his alley. "I'll try." Zeki stared at the letters for a moment impassively, then in horror. "What's wrong?" Tom asked.

"It says," he stuttered, "it says "ALEXANDER WILL ONLY SAVE THOSE WHO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE RULES THE WORLD. THOSE WHO DO NOT WILL FEEL HIS DIVINE WRATH." Do you know what this means? Somehow, this message was ingrained into his DNA. I don't know how this could be possible, but, we've just read a 2000-year-old prophecy!"

This is stupid. This can't be true. Tom was a skeptic to many, if not every, supernatural phenomena like this, but even he thought that this was worth investigating. "So," he asked Zeki, "will we unwrap Alexander now?"

"Yes, yes we will. I think the gods demand it."

4: The Return

The two men pushed the long table into the main examination laboratory. The rest of their colleagues, about ten others, stood with them. Tom and Zeki both held fine-bladed knives and a water gun that shot steam, in their hands. "This will be a historic day," Tom proclaimed. "Today, we will see the man who conquered the Persians with such brilliant tactics that only he could ever devise! We will go down in history, for now I know that my lineage of being related to Ptolemy has helped me make this discovery. Zeki, let's do this."

The pair slowly cut the bandages away one layer at a time. The embalmers had taken special care to ensure that the body was well protected. In the wrappings, Tom found a small circular amulet. It was gold and had a Greek Alpha carved into it. Tom held it in wonder, staring at the shining piece of metal.

As the amount of bandages diminished, Tom's mind was racing. I can't believe that we're actually doing this. All my life, I have waited for this moment. At last, it will be my chance to be immortalized in the passage of history, alongside the man that I have found. All that separates me and my ticket to fame and fortune is one more layer of this resin.

As the last of the resin was peeled away, Zeki gaped. "He looks," he whispered, "just like how those have described him. Golden hair, blue grey eyes, fine features. I can't believe I'm in the presence of Alexander the Great," he whispered in awe. He stopped himself as if he didn't want to wake Alexander from his sleep. He shook himself a little. "Sellis, what are you holding?" he asked.

"It's an amulet I found in the wrappings. I think it has the letter Alpha engraved into it. Why do you think that's here?"

"Maybe it's one of those protective charms, to keep away grave robbers." As Tom thought his friend's words over, he placed the amulet into Alexander's palm. "This is yours," he whispered. "It is an honor to have found you."

He stared into Alexander's lifeless eyes for a moment and was interrupted by Zeki. "I saw him blink!" he exclaimed. "I swear to God I saw him blink!"

"You're just seeing things. He's dead, he can't blink. You're probably just excited."

Zeki nodded and calmed down, composing himself. "You must be right. I mean, this is an amazing discovery. Think about it: they've been looking for Alexander since the last quarter of the 19th century, and after almost 130 years, we are the ones who have found him."

Tom nodded and kept staring at the Macedonian until he saw something change. Did he see Alexander blink too?

No, it can't be. I'm hallucinating like Zeki. If you remain calm, the illusion will go away.

He kept seeing Alexander blink an eye every few seconds or so. Wait. His eyes aren't even focused, so they can't blink.

As he thought this, Alexander's eyes came into focus until he was staring directly at him. Tom stared openmouthed back. "What is it?" Zeki was concerned, then he glanced at Tom. Alexander's gaze fell on them both.

At that moment, both saw a mental image so real that it was like reality before their inner eyes.

Zeki saw himself with a helmet under his arm and sword in hand, standing at Alexander's side. He was giving Zeki orders with a small smile. "You have done well. You shall, instead of leading my Royal Guardsman, be in my squadron."

However, Tom saw a completely opposite image. He saw himself lying on the ground, stab wounds in his arms, both shoulders, and legs, with a gash in his head. Alexander stood over him, blood up his arms and sword. His eyes were murderous, shining with an, angry, no, worse, light. Even though this was only an image, Tom felt the eyes on him. He tried to look away, but the harder he tried, the brighter Alexander's eyes shone. Then with a lurch, Tom realized that the blood wasn't Alexander's. It was his. "You should have followed your friend's advice. In doing so, he has been given a position in my army. You, on the other hand, are not so lucky. You will remember this day forever." Light surrounded Alexander as his sword came down towards him...

"What did you see?" Zeki asked Tom in a low whisper.

"I saw him. He was about to kill me. How about you?"

"I saw Alexander give me orders and promote me. It was so real. But, why would we see different images? And how were we able to see them?"

"Maybe it's our imaginations." Tom dismissed their visions as he would any other supernatural occurrence.

"I don't think we could have made up those things on our own," Zeki guessed. "Maybe, someone implanted these images into our minds. But who could it be?"

As Tom looked down at Alexander, he only saw an unoccupied table. He was gone. "What the hell?" he muttered. "Zeki, where did Alexander go?"

"I don't know. We were talking and," Zeki stopped. "No, he couldn't have."

"Couldn't have what?"

"He couldn't have stood and walked away. We have to look for him."

"There is no need to look."

Zeki and Tom spun around to face who had spoken.

What, who, am I seeing? Tom was confused.

"Thank you Zeki and Tom." The tall man who spoke to them had an accent that emphasized his consonants and lengthened his vowels: a Macedonian accent. "You have just fulfilled the most crucial step of my master plan."

5: Cut Our Beliefs

Tom and Zeki stared in wonder at Alexander. "You can't be him," Tom disclaimed. "How did you get here?"

"Shortly after I died, Roxane went to Ptolemy and gave him the amulet I now hold." He opened his hand and flashed it to them before placing it in a pocket. "This amulet was charmed by Aristander, and it was so designed that when a certain person, you Tom, found it and placed it in my hand, I would be resurrected. In fact, I was alive this whole time, but I would only be alive in a way that your instruments could detect after the amulet was given to me. Around the turn of the 21st century, Zeus alerted me to your studies. I decided that putting a message in the very DNA in my body would be the most permanent way to impart a message, so we did so. Zeus placed the message you read in a section of DNA that archaeologists often examined. You would only read the message correctly if you grouped the ninety characters in groups of ten. Luckily, you did so."

"That's good to know. But, the Greek gods co not exist."

"Where I come from, they do." He laughed as he watched the two friends' faces. "I do mot only come from a different part of history, but from a different history altogether. I am from a completely different universe, one with another Earth, another world population, and different beliefs. The Greek gods, along with manx other Greek or Roman mythological beings, are alive and well. To go farther, this world has other beings: Pokemon, and yes, I do mean the creatures thought up by the Japanese ten years ago. In our world history, Pokemon only existed in the Greek world: Africa, Europe, and Asia. When Christopher Columbus came so America, he brought Pokemon with him. Farther still, along with your towns and cities, there are Pokemon places as {el: Pallet Town is in Silicon Valley, Pewter City is in Navada, and the Orange Islands and Hawaii are one in the same."

Tom was tuning out his words. He only desired information that he could prove in both worlds. "You can't be the same man as the one we found. There are legends that he had fighting abilities beyond those of mortal men. And lately, there have been reports that airplanes in Iraq and Iran have been shot down by lightning bolts. Some prophesied that it was the precursor to an event like this. But if it was you, how were you able to do it?"

"I gained the abilities you speak of as time passed. As the technology changed, so did I. I learned to use magic and gained strength, speed, and agility far beyond that of a normal person, and even most superheroes. In the Pokemon world, the Laws of Physics are the same. The only difference is that they can be bent, if not broken, by almost anyone. But that is mot the point. From my upgrades, I also been given my blade. Ēlecktron!" A six-foot blade of bronze sprang from Alexander's arm, his wrist being where the hilt should have been. He gestured at it with his other hand. "This can cut through anything, even diamond. I suspect that if a hydrogen atom were placed at the center of the blade's edge, it would cut that too. Now, since fighter planes are being used to do aerial combat, I was given a weapon that no man has ever encountered before: the ability to use lightning like Zeus does. I gather energy from my surroundings, and I act like a human transformer. It is perfect for shooting planes out of the sky. Yes, these shootings were of my doing."

"Those things may be the case, but Alexander was only five-foot-eight. You're more than a foot taller than that. What the hell happened?" Tom contradicted the man yet again.

Alexander didn't appear irritated at being asked so many questions, questions that he obviously knew the answers to and questions, most likely, all of the people in his world knew the answers to. Actually, he seemed almost happy to be answering them. "Zeus informed me that appearances are just as important as military strategy. If your leader is short, you will not be afraid of him or his force, as proven by Nepoleon Boniparte, and look what happened. Plus, the Persians back 2300 years ago, here and in my world, admired tall rulers. We wanted to honor that. A general whose head is visible over a crowd of thousands and from afar makes the enemy think twice about second guessing him. Intimidation can be very affective before shedding blood." he mused, as if he were talking to himself. "It also allows for more surface area for gathering energy."

"Why have you come?" Zeki demanded boldly. He had watched the argument as it went back and forth silently. Now, Tom felt that Zeki now wanted to contribute something. He wanted information too. He thought that this was a lie too. He wanted answers too.

Alexander smiled in a not too friendly and creepy kind of way. "It is not _you that I am here for, it is Tom." He turned to him and began. "From Zeus, I know that you have been trying to find me for years and that many archaeologists have discredited you. I know that you work for the United States government by doing this project, but that your actual intention is to prove your critics wrong by finding me. You used your Macedonian lineage to your advantage. You said that this ancestry allowed you, _demanded you, to search for me. You said that when you found me, you would go down in history as one of the greatest archaeologists of all time, and you would be remembered forever.

This may be true, but you did all of this by feeding off my accomplishments. You always stated that because of your relationship to Ptolemy, this made you a ruler of Egypt. You speak lies!" Alexander's voice suddenly rose to a shout. "You have none of Ptolemy's blood in you, and you do not have his intelligence, his loyalty, and most of all, _his ability to accomplish _his _own _accomplishments!"

"You are the one who lies!" Tom screamed in response. "You grew tyrannical as you went on with your conquest. As you entered India, even your closest generals doubted you. You never listened to Kleitis', Perminion's, and many others suggestions of turning back! You only thought of yourself! You don't deserve your title, and if you were, you would be called Alexander the Unworthy! Ptolemy was more worthy of the title Great. At least he didn't kill an innocent soldier just because he disapproved of his opinions!"

Alexander went rigid with fury. "I killed Kleitis to get him out of the way. This made the campaigns easier. If he had stayed, I would not have met Roxane. You are the one telling me what not to do? And this is coming from the man who is using _my _military _strategy for his own benefit! What the hell do you think I did to win those battles: luck? I was lucky yes, but I did not win my battles through a line of flukes! Your whole career was a fluke: people actually believe that you are a descendant of Ptolemy! Oh, if only they could know of your lies, they would dismember you even more!"

"You know" Tom began, but Zeki stopped him. "Tom, why didn't you _tell me that you being of Ptolemaic descent was a lie?" He was mortified. "And to think," he said with relish, "I followed you because I thought I was being led by one of the sons of one of the best generals of one of the best conquerors in history! I guess I was wrong."

Zeki turned to Alexander. "You can do whatever you want with Tom, for I respect him no longer. I do not know why I did not leave him sooner."

"You!" Tom turned on his friend now. "You follow this megalomanic who thinks himself a god among men! He thinks we're slops in the bucket of life and that he's the one holding it! I am the one who found you, so I now have the right to send you back where you belong. You will never get past me! Or rather, them!" He gestured at his ten accomplices, who were guards that were assigned to protect Zeki and himself. They were, if you would like so call them this, low-level Sec Service men. "We'll blast your half-alive self right back to Greece and you'll stay there! Guards, fire!"

6: Breaking Weapons and Barriers

The ten fellow men in the room took their guns from their holsters and fired all at once. Bullets flew from ten separate points in the room towards Alexander. Right before their eyes, he disappeared. The bullets flew through empty space.

He reappeared next to one of the guards, close to the door. Darn, he was right about having super speed. Tom had to give a little bit of ground to his foe, and this was part of that. He slashed his sword downward, cutting the gun in two. The guard punched Alexander in the chest, but he didn't fall. In fact, he attacked in response, twisting the man's arms and dislocating his shoulders. He slammed an elbow into his opponent's ribs, and this was accompanied by the sound of shattering bone. The first guard fell in a matter of seconds.

As two more enemies came up behind Alexander, he parried a knife aimed at the back of his neck. The knife got sliced in half too. As the guards attempted to flip him over and subdue him, the two got their arms intertwined. They both got punched in the head, skulls cracking. "What the hell have you gotten us into Tom?" one man yelled. "You're going to make us get our Secret Service butts kicked by this-" He was cut off as a dagger appeared in his neck, and he fell dead.

Only six guards, Tom, and Zeki remained alive after less than a minute of fighting. "You may think I'm unarmed," Tom claimed, pulling an automatic machine gun from his holster, "but look at true firepower!" Who said archaeologists don't have the opportunity to do what the military does? he thought with satisfaction. A man with a Trojan-age blade can't stand a chance against this. He wouldn't have thought of this stuff in his wildest dreams.

Bullets came in a heavy stream like lead water in a river. The bullets were all aimed at the exact same target: Alexander's torso. Despite Tom's sniper-like accuracy, none hit their mark. Alexander was too fast and too evasive while fighting the remaining six guards. As he kicked one in the head, blood spilling to the floor, he jumped in the air and cut straight through a man's head down the middle before he touched the ground. He spun around, arms and legs and chiton in a blur. Men flew in all directions like debris at the mercy of helicopter blades. The four guards crashed into Tom and Zeki. "Damn the laws of physics," Tom cursed. "He wanted that to happen." i shouldn't sink so low as to fighting in anger. Alexander did that, and I am not worthy of him or anything he will do or could do.

He composed himself and reached for a pouch on his belt. "Here are some extra magazines. We have work to do. Who knew that I would actually use these?"

Five magazines were in his hands, one per person with a gun. I'll have to use every bullet I've got in order to defeat him. He's a pretty damn fast fighter. Not to mention that what he's done with just his bare hands excels all of us. We'll have to use our guns and try to stay away from him.

"I'll give you one last chance to submit," Tom raised his voice. "You can admit that our technology exceeds yours in every way, that Ptolemy is actually my predecessor, and that you'll never doubt my work again. Or, you can be shot through with more bullets than there were men in your army. And by a much smaller force too."

"I will-" Alexander stopped mid-shout. "You are right," his voice dropped to a whisper so soft that it was barely audible. "But you _are not a son of Ptolemy. Even though you are not an ancestor of a member of my army, you and your comrades shall be punished like them. You will be executed for treason and conspiracy by my own hand."

"That was not what I meant at all!" Tom was indignant. "And nowadays, we aren't punished for that kind of crap. The death penalty is allowed here in California, and even if we did commit a crime against you, treason is a Supreme Court thing! You're breaking a federal law!"

"I do not have to follow your laws," Alexander said matter-of-factly, "I break all of them with ease. I am not from your country, and though I do intend to stay here longer, I do not have to follow your laws. You inadvertently have followed mine. You found me like I planned, you gave me the amulet like I have planned. You used _my deeds to make yours sound heroic and honorable. You consider yourself an archaeological god among ordinary, mortal ones. Your actions have forced my hand."

Alexander's sword seemed to grow more lustrous, and Tom knew why. He was thinking of the many ways to kill him and his men. How many times has he done that? he asked himself. I am not the first one to have seen him like this; no, Darius was the first. He came very close to seeing it. I am the Darius who never escaped the battlefield. "You think what I have done _before was powerful? Now," he said, his voice growing louder with every word, "you shall feel the true wrath of a god!"

As he said wrath, a lightning bolt cleaved the ceiling in two. The bright sky showed through it. Bolts of energy began to arc from every point on his body, from his other hand to his blade. The group ran for cover, shooting as they went. Every bullet melted in the presence of the lightning. Flames filled the hole in the ceiling, as if it was blocking their last means of escape. Every piece of furniture so far in tact was turned to ashes. Lead rain burned the floor instead of cooling it. "Should we run now?" one man asked Tom. He had several burns on his arms and a cut across his forehead.

"I'm still not worried." Tom was calm, or at least he looked calm. "He can't focus his power. I mean, it's not like he'll concentrate all his power on us instead of spreading it around the room. I mean, why the Hades would he not focus it? And he says that he can throw a javelin."

As Tom finished, he felt energy blast him forward ten feet. He and his fellows ran straight into a wall face-first. "On second thought," he changed his mind and panicked, "run!"

The six of them sprinted for the door, which was only twenty feet away. Before anyone could arrive there, however, someone grabbed Tom from behind. He struggled and the grip got tighter, squeezing his arm so hard that he swore that it had already lost sensation. "Guards, fire!" Tom croaked again.

There was no gunfire. He heard a crack and saw a spray of molten metal. The guns had melted.

"Now I have you right where I want you." Alexander's voice drifted into Tom's ear: silky, quiet and loud, persuasive, terrifying. "You thought you could fight me with pure power? No, I know that you are going to say that that is what I am doing, but there is a method to all of this. I have knowledge of many weapons, most from after my time and from this one. I knew that you prefer automatic weapons, and I relied on your wasting of bullets. How I know this you may ask? You see, the more people I conquered during my campaign, the easier it was to control them. In some time, I had gained the capacity to read my generals' minds, my army's minds, my subject's minds. However, this could only go so far. Considering how my state worsened over the years, it got harder and harder to do. You see, as soon as I realized that I was in America, surrounded by millions and not just thousands of people, my powers' affects increased exponentially. It got easier and easier to use them. In particular, I was concentrating on you and Zeki. You are a skeptic to any phenomena so far unexplained by science, while Zeki all-out believes in them. Zeki was the one who suggested that you be the one to look at my DNA to begin with. You have done well," he praised Zeki and Zeki nodded curtly. "I am proud of you Zeki. Thanks to your persuasion, you have allowed me to return. Tom, you did the deed, but it was only after Zeki helped you. Zeki, as soon as I am done here, you can get straight to your duties as being one of my generals."

"Why would I need to become one?" Zeki asked. "You have no army."

"Well, I am going to do more than conquer the world. I am going to change the world I have conquered. I will make the government of all of the countries of the world that of the Greek ideal, or implant the parts that need to be added. Every man and woman, regardless of race, will be able to vote on every issue that affects not only themselves, but the government officials. This will be especially useful in the United States. Should there be higher or lower taxes? Should the state workers have pay cuts this month? Should all the states have the same sales tax? This will ensure that every person has a say in their lives and that there will be no problems involving inequality among voters. Government officials will be punished justly. Zeki, you will help me do all of that. Right now there are two of us, but before we can say "What the Hades have we taken upon ourselves to do," we shall have thousands, millions, dedicated to our cause. The revolution is coming. And it will begin as soon as I get rid of tom."

Zeki gazed at his commander. "But, I haven't proved myself in any way that I am worthy of serving you."

"You have remained mostly calm all throughout this whole mess, so if you can do that now, you will be fine in battle."

"As for you Tom," Alexander said, still holding him in the air, "you have disrespected me in every imaginable way. You used my achievements to help in the achievement of your own, you lied to the historical community and your friend about your Macedonian descent, and most of all, you have caused me dishonor by glossing over me and my hard work. You think being a conqueror of _my status is easy? It is not, since I had to keep track of thousands of people and had to march thousands of miles to do it. I had to reward, punish, feed, rest, transport, lead, and teach my soldiers for twelve years. You did not consider what your actions may have done to others, like what would happen if they found out about your secret or if they knew that you based your research off that of Zeki. You used us both. For that, you shall pay!"

7: A Liar's Scars

Alexander dropped Tom and spun more rapidly than ever, flinging the remaining guards high into the air. Everyone but Zeki touched the gap in the ceiling, and two of them tried to climb out in vain. Their hands were burned by the metal in the roof. As each man fell, Alexander sliced at their arms and legs, cutting them off at the knee with the two who had tried to escape. Blood poured from the stumps like a popped water balloon.

The remaining two, still able to stand, made one last attempt to run for the door. Turning and pivoting on one leg, Alexander slashed at the heads of them both, their necks skewered by the blade as it rotated around in an arc. It looked like a fan with only one blade, or more appropriately, one of those old butchers' meat slicing machines. The only difference was the fact that the blade and the meat moved.

It was grewsome work, the blood spraying everywhere. None of it seemed to get on him though. He's saving the true bloodshed for when he fights me. Tom was chilled down to the bone. I've watched ten men give their lives for Zeki and I in the past few minutes, and I admire that. I still think this is a waste of manpower, however. What Alexander is saying is not true and was never true.

His mind diverted away from the fight somewhat. Why does he like Zeki so much? He hasn't been hurt yet. He hasn't been touched. He made him turn against me. Now what will I do?

Then, Tom felt a stab of pain in his leg. He looked down to see a flow of blood running down it onto the floor and onto his shoe. He managed to spin around and felt the same pain in his other leg. Alexander had switched positions as he had turned around. He clenched his hands into fists and stood as straight as his wounded legs would allow. He stepped forward, making more blood gush to the floor. He had to make one last plea. "Zeki, I know that even though you don't think like how I do, you still support me, no matter what may happen. We've been through a great deal of crap throughout the years, and I know that you are against me, but you have to help me. I don't deserve my punishment. So please, please, by the gods of Greece and other lands, help me!"

"I can't do that." Zeki said bluntly. "You insulted my commander, and I can't let you get out of here alive. I'm sorry Tom, but I have to follow Alexander. You deserve your punishment after all."

Oh fantastic. Now my friend is completely paying no attention to crap! His thoughts were broken in on by more pain, this time in his arms. Cuts extended from his hands to his shoulders. How they had appeared there so quickly, he didn't know. In his defense, he struck at Alexander's breast.

He didn't even flinch when the blow landed. He lunged for Tom's arms and twisted them together behind his back. At the same time, he felt white-hot pain in his head. It had been cut from the left side of his scalp to that same corner of his jaw. More blood gushed down his face and some trickled into his mouth. He tasted iron and other earthy minerals, and this made his stomach turn. He had never tasted his own blood before, and this made him dizzy and unfocused on what was happening. Alexander's men had, no, have, tasted their own blood from wounds. Some have nearly drowned in it.

He was pushed to the ground, and he saw stars before his eyes.

He glanced up as he fell. A spurt of blood had landed on his opponent's blade. Alexander's lips were bloody from him cleaning it with his tongue. He ran the tip of his tongue across them, as if he were trying to figure out what he tasted there, and Tom felt more nauseous than before. He was tasting his blood! It looked like he was enjoying it too. When they say that some warriors were bloodthirsty, they meant it literally as well as figuratively. How could this bring him so much pleasure?

Then, he realized what he had done to make his empire. Oh. It's because the blood of his enemy is so easy for him to dispose of. He enjoys seeing my comrades bleed.

"_Now do you see? Fighting against me is futile. You are no match for me." Alexander glanced at Zeki, who watched the proceedings with a mixture of sadness and apathy. "You should have taken your friend's advice. Because he believed in me and did not use me, he has received a position in my army. As for you, you are not so lucky."

Why was this so familiar? This was what Alexander had said in Tom's vision! It was coming true! The message that Zeki and him had read was true. Zeki acknowledged that Alexander ruled the world, and he was rewarded. Now, since he doubted this, Tom would feel Alexander's divine wrath. Nothing would save him, not even the believer. "You shall remember this day forever. You will be scarred for life. My name shall be written on your arm for as long as you walk Gaea's domain, and every time you say my name, you shall feel the same pain you are about to feel. Everyone will know why you feel it, I will assure that happens. Any last words?"

When he was done, he did not wipe his hand on his chiton. Instead, he began licking the hand that wasn't a blade. If Tom could vomit now, he would do so. He was relishing the taste of his blood, like how he did with Darius, his Persian enemy's ignorance. He saw Alexander swallow and place his hand at his side.

Tom didn't change his mind. He said what he had said earlier with great conviction and finality. "You deserve your title of Alexander the Unworthy after all."

"As you say." Light surrounded Alexander and his blade as it came down towards Tom's arm...

He felt like his whole body was being plunged into and seared by hot oil. The sword was like a weapon made of pure pain, one worthy of any warrior. No, a conqueror. No. Any warrior, like Caesar or Hannibal, could have wielded it well, but this sword only suited Alexander. He alone could hold a weapon of such destructive power with such ease. If he had had it during his campaign, he would have been an army of one. He would have no need for infantry or cavalry. He would only need a way to travel from town to town. People who submitted peacefully would stay alive, and those who fought, would end up like him. No one in those towns would have survived.

His name would have spread like wildfire, if anyone lived to hear of it. He was the Macedonian warrior who could kill with hands and blade, who knew your battle plan even before you thought of it, who could, with the mere mentioning of his name, cause pain. If you actually saw him? You would be dead before you could react or even process everything you saw. You would be dead while your brain was still functioning, working at its hardest to interpret what it saw. The only thing you would see was the blood on his lips, his drink of your life, being his water, and the blade coming towards your neck. You would go to Hades with Alexander's terrifying, submitting, seductive voice in your ears. You would scream in agony as you were carried to Charon's ferry to the underworld. You would have plenty of company there, for thousands of men would have had the same fate as yourself.

Tom heard his own coarse scream of pain and felt his body thrashing. He felt the blood pool around his body, and he got weaker every time he moved. His head burned with his gash.

Along with his own screams, he heard Alexander laughing. Laughing? He heard this for sure. It was a quiet and soft kind of laugh, but one that still resonated with power. It was a laugh of satisfaction, one of his master plan being fulfilled just as he desired. It was a laugh of wielding unopposed, absolute power, that even with time, never died or lost its influence. It was a laugh of a man who was driven by the pain of others, one who actually got stronger with every kill.

I was part of this plan the whole time. It took ten years and much more to be completed, but it had been completed in the end. By choosing to study him, I had become a part of it. Zeki was a part of it, and Aristander, the one who charmed the amulet, was a part of it too. It was also planned that I would have to suffer like this. Now I accept my punishment, but I do so with dread.

His thoughts became less lucid. At last, his thoughts only filled with that of the pain he felt and his sight went black. The last things he saw were Alexander's expression of rage, his bloody mouth, and his beckoning hand, as if he were letting Charon know that he would have a new passenger and that Hades would have a new subject.

Zeki looked impassively on at his friend.

Alexander had not said what he had about the revolution to scare Tom. He was going to change the world, not only in that way, but in many other ways. He would tell the rest of the world of his deed after cleaning this mess up. It didn't bother him. He had killed people this quickly before without a second thought.

He had made Tom think that he would live after the scarring, but he had intended to kill him from the start. He had insulted him, and he would feel his wrath forever for doing that. Hades would make sure that happened when Tom arrived in the Fields of Punishment. He would relive this day forever. The sole nonbeliever, the benefactor, and the prime part of Alexander's plan, was no more.

8: Unchanged but Changed

UC Berkley, California

Zeki Mysterio, Report 1A

"I can finally talk about what's happened freely. I, Zeki Mysterio, will tell you all you need to know about well, everything that's happened since Tom's death.

I'm still surprised, no, shocked, no, scared out of my mind, that Alexander the Great, out of all people, has returned! He told me everything I needed to know, like when he set out for Asia, where he encamped during all these battles, what he thought should happen after he died. Apparently, none of his after-he-died protocol was followed. He wasn't surprised. He knew that though his generals would try to do what he wanted, they wanted to pay homage in their own ways after he died.

He also told me that after meeting Roxane, she told him of an amulet that Darius gave to her when they met as a gift. He had said this: "If you should need to save a dying man or help one who was dead, give this to a practiced seer, and from there, you will know what to do."

After he died, Roxane had met Aristander and gave him the amulet. In front of all the men, Aristander had put Alexander's memories in it and placed it along with his body. Tom had been chosen and nothing would interfere with that.

Along with the amulet, his body had been hidden somewhere that no archaeologists could anticipate: a tomb beside that of his father in Macedon. They hadn't adorned the site with any ornaments, no matter how much they desired it. They simply placed Alexander in a golden sarcophagus and buried it deep underground, about twice the depth of Philip's burial mound. It had remained there, archaeologists searching in Alexandria and Greece many times with no success. They could never have guessed that it was there.

Many discredited the idea that the body alone could be hidden in Greece in plain sight. They said that someone like Alexander would want a grand tomb that would weather the centuries and would still be recognizable even after 2300 years or more.

Many also discredited the idea that Alexander could have suggested this placement himself. He had come to Ptolemy in a dream, telling him to not make him a tomb in Egypt, but to bring him back to his home country. Of course, Ptolemy agreed.

He had journeyed back to Macedon and buried it as deeply as he could, right beside Philip's tomb and burial mound. There was a counterfeit body in the Soma Alexandre. That was the tomb that Julius Caesar had visited. After 2300 years, the coffin had remained undiscovered. Tom and I had the sense to look there, and with luck, oh, perhaps Alexander's will, we had located him.

It was a surprise at first, but then we figured it out. Alexander would only be placed there if it was important. It was. Not only that, but the finding wasn't done by Tom's lineage, but mine, for _I am a son of Ptolemy, not Tom.

Alexander had told me that I was Ptolemy's son just two days ago. I was so astonished that I fell to my knees and stared open-mouthed. He had calmed me and said that he had waited a little bit to tell me. He wasn't particularly surprised at my feelings. In fact, it was like he expected them. "Zeki, I was just as shocked, if not more so, when I discovered my relation to Zeus before my first campaign. My mother was in my position now, and I was you."

He has also told me about this alternate world. Pokemon rome free, in pokeballs, and even standing alongside human trainers with pokeballs of their own. His closest friend is a Pikachu named Minondass, named after Epeminondass the Theban. Alexander has had a nonstop winning streak ever since March 2009 in that world, and he has even more famous than he is here. He has fought in two more wars, each one against Minondass and the army that he had raised. He is the head of an organization called the Hellenic League, an army, scholar group, Greek author haven, and many more things. He has made me a spy.

On a lighter note, Alexander has given me my sword and helmet. He taught me swordplay, with many bumps and bruises to go along with it. However, it's paid off greatly. He's told me that he will tell me any information I desire and that I can use it in any way I please, as long as I say where the information came from and that I keep it as close to how he had said it as possible. I love this license, for there is no corruption by bias, only cold, hard fact that no archaeologist, no matter how experienced, knowledgable, or schooled they may be, could doubt. How could they? They're getting the information straight from the one who did everything they studied. How can you have information so fresh from any other source?

One more word to the reader. If they are like me: that they believe that everything I have said is true, that they believe that Alexander is the rightful ruler of the world, and that he has authority that is not limited by the passing of time, then they'll be rewarded with fame, fortune, and a place among his circle of supporters. Many people have received this post, and I am one of the first of the modern to be given this right.

However, if you don't believe in anything I have said: that you think Alexander doesn't rule the world, that his authority was concrete when he lived the first time and during that time only, and that I lie about what I say? Well, you'll be like Tom. Alexander will find you, and I'll ensure that he does find you. He knows the thoughts of every man, woman, and child in the United States all at one time. Even I can not hide my thoughts from him. His mind is impenetrable by my own, for his mental capacity is so vast that no mortal can comprehend what he thinks directly. Only if he gives you entry can you figure out his thoughts, and even then, they are quite unintelligible.

I will make sure he finds you. I'll make sure that he gets what he wants, whether it be submission, money, or, in extreme cases, the death of you. He can never be beaten in a fight, no doubt about that. His sword moves quicker than any other in history, his agility unmatched by any athlete, his lightning ability of divine origin. He can not be tied down by ropes, his sword will just cut them with ease. If you try to handcuff him? He can also cut those and he can even break them with his bare hands. He is a fighter with abilities any conqueror would want: speed, intelligence beyond belief, gifts from God.

One last thing-

"Zeki, are you writing of my powers again in your novel? You're not Arrian. You're not Roman. In fact, you're not even, well, Roman-ish." Alexander interrupted Zeki's typing.

He started. "No. Why do you ask? Sire, this isn't a novel. I'm writing a report to Robert Gates. He is the Secretary of Defense."

"I am not disapproving," Alexander was thankful. "In fact, I want you to do this. Thank you for doing so, for I think the reader of this dispatch gets your point. Do you think so?"

"Yes, I guess they would."

"But there is one more thing we need to do, and it is I who will carry it out. Tom is unworthy of mention in writing. Only by mouth will we spread his demise. So," Alexander's voice shook the room. "Ēlectron!"

... ... ...

The End


End file.
